Rain Collectors Getting Creative

Rain Collectors Getting Creative

The rainfall this weekend had many out collecting, and some residents are getting creative.

Before the heavy rainfall this weekend many residents in Wichita Falls were already prepared to take advantage of it with rain barrels and other collection systems, and these systems remain in high demand.

Collecting rain is something that many residents in Wichita Falls are now doing and one resident is getting creative and smart as she collects and conserves rain water.

"My huge trees are a huge part of my property value and I want to be able to water the foundation of my house and I want to be able to do all those things and we obviously can't do them with city water," Wichita Falls resident Debi Walters said.

So she took matters into her own hands.

Debi has seven rain tanks to collect any rain that does fall, and they proved their value this weekend.

"This is an IBC, an individual bulk container, that has housed something before. They can house everything from salad dressings to chemicals. They've been thoroughly washed out," Walters said.

Some are connected to drains off the roof and others are used to store the surplus once those fill up. She also uses a sump pump to collect the water flowing down the street gutters.

"They're all full from the rain the last two days," Walters said.

And Walters is not alone.

Employees at Lowe's say their rain barrels are big sellers, especially after this weekend.

"We just got these in this morning and we already sold three, just within the first couple hours that we've been open," Christian Peterson, Lowe's Live Nursery Specialist, said.

Rain collecting is something that Walters says is smart and she thinks will continue, even after the drought ends.

"There's a school of thought about recycling and our planet, but I say the whole planet can recycle paper goods, but we're the ones who need to think about water, I mean we're in dire straights here so it's time for us to think about water first," Walters said.

Walters said any barrel you can purchase at any local hardware store, such as Lowe's Home Improvement or Atwoods, and set up a similar rain collecting system.

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